title: Establishing a minority-based community clinical oncology program: the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School-university Hospital Cancer Center experience.
abstract: The Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program (MB-CCOP) at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School-University Hospital Cancer Center was established to serve an unmet need in a medically, educationally, and socioeconomically underserved community of primarily African American and Latino patients in Newark and Essex County, New Jersey. The MB-CCOP was built on an existing infrastructure of multidisciplinary teams of cancer specialists who collaborated in patient care and an existing clinical research program, which included multilingual staff and a breast cancer navigator. This article highlights some of the unique opportunities and challenges involved in the startup of an MB-CCOP specifically relevant to an academic setting. We present a guide to the necessary infrastructure and institutional support that must be in place before considering such a program and some of the steps an institution can take to overcome barriers preventing successful enrollment of patients onto clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School-University Hospital Cancer Center, Newark, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wieder
authors.forename: Randall
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Teal
authors.forename: Tracie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Bryan J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Weiner
mesh_terms: D002173:Cancer Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006078:Government Programs; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008495:Medical Oncology; D008913:Minority Groups; D054547:National Cancer Institute (U.S.); D009515:New Jersey; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States